In the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway, tyrosine is converted in three steps to norephinephrine (NE). Intermediates are dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and dopamine (DA). Dopamine is hydroxylated to norepinephrine by dopamine-.beta.-hydroxylase (DBH) in the presence of oxygen and ascorbic acid.
Inhibition of catecholamine activity decreases blood pressure. Weinshilboum, Mayo Clin. Proc. 55, 39 (1980), reviews compounds that inhibit catecholamine activity by acting upon adrenergic receptors. Alternatively, the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway can be suppressed at any of the three steps, resulting in reduced NE levels. In addition to producing an antihypertensive effect, inhibitors of NE synthesis are active as diuretics, natriuretics, cardiotonics, and vasodilators. Inhibition of DBH activity can have the added advantage of increasing DA levels, which as reported by Ehrreich et al., "new Antihypertensive Drugs," Spectrum Publishing, 1976, pp. 409-432, has selective vasodilator activity at certain concentrations.
DBH inhibitors also have been shown to reduce or prevent formation of gastric ulcers in rats by Hidaka et al., "Catecholamine and Stress," edit. by Usdin et al., Permagon Press, Oxford, 1976, pp. 159-165 and by Osumi et al., Japan J. Pharmacol. 23, 904 (1973).
A number of DBH inhibitors are known. These generally are divided into two classes, namely, metal chelating agents, which bind to copper in the enzyme, and phenethylamine analogues. Rosenberg et al., "Essays in Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology," Vol. 4, edit. by Youdim et al., John Wiley & Sons, 1980, pp. 179-192, and Goldstein, Pharmacol. Rev. 18 (1), 77 (1966), reivew DBH inhibitors. The former report that many potent DBH inhibitors have a hydrophobic side chain of size comparable to the aromatic ring of DA, leading the authors to suggest that incorporation of a terminal hydroxyl group on a 4- to 6-carbon side chain on a phenethylamine analogue may yield potent inhibitors.
Known DBH inhibitors include:
(a) 5-alkylpicolinic acids [See, Suda et al., Chem. Pharm. Bull. 17, 2377 (1969); Umezawa et al., Biochem. Pharmacol. 19, 35 (1969); Hidaka et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 9, 172 (1973); Miyano et al., Chem. Pharm. Bull. 26, 2328 (1978); Miyano et al., Heterocycles 14, 755 (1980); Claxton et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol. 37, 179 (1976)];
(b) BRL 8242 [See, Claxton et al., Eur J. Pharmacol. 37, 179 (1976)];
(c) 1-alkylimidazole-2-thiols [See, Hanlon et al., Life Sci. 12, 417 (1973); Fuller et al., Adv. Enzyme Regul. 15, 267 (1976)];
(d) substituted thioureas [See, Johnson et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 168, 229 (1969)]; and
(e) benzyloxyamine and benzylhydrazine [See, Creveling et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 64, 125 (1962); Creveling et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 8, 215 (1962); Van Der Schoot et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 141, 74 (1963); Bloom, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci 107, 878 (1963)].
All the above compounds except benzyloxyamine and benzylhydrazine apparently owe their inhibitory effect to metal chelating properties. Alkyl derivatives of imidazole-2-thiol are more potent, presumably due to non-specific interaction of the alkyl substituent with the enzyme. Benzyloxyamine and benzylhydrazine are phenethylamine analogues which apparently act as competitive inhibitors.
In addition to the above compounds, Runti et al., Il Farmaco Ed. Sci. 36, 260 (1980), report that other fusaric acid derivatives and analogues inhibit DBH. These include phenylpicolinic acid, which has twice the inhibitory activity of fusaric acid, and 5-(4-chlorobutyl)picolinic acid, and others such as substituted amides of fusaric acid and acids and amides of 5-butyroylpicolinic acid, 5-aminopicolinic acid and 5-hydrazinopicolinic acid, and derivatives thereof.
Hidaka et al., Molecular Pharmacology, 9, 172-177 (1972) report that 5-(3,4-dibromobutyl)picolinic acid and 5-(dimethyldithiocarbamoyl)methylpicolinic acid are DBH inhibitors.
Bupicomide, 5-(n-butyl)picolinamine, is reported by Ehrreich et al., "New Antihypertensive Drugs", Spectrum Publications, 1976, pg. 409-432, to be a DBH inhibitor that has antihypertensive activity.
In European Patent Application No. 125,033 (published Nov. 14, 1984) a series of 1-phenyl and 1-phenylalkylimidazole compounds having a mercapto or alkylthio group in the 2-position are disclosed. These compounds are described as having DBH inhibiting activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,761 describes several methylpyridine derivatives isolated from the fermentation broth of a strain of Streptoverticillium. These compounds inhibit DBH activity.
Friedman et al., Psychosomatic Med. 40, 107 (1978), report that patients treated with alpha-methyl-DOPA, guanethidine, and reserpine, but not propranolol and diuretics, have lowered DBH levels, although the significance of the observation is uncertain.
Non-specific, often toxic effects of known DBH inhibitors have obviated clinical use of these compounds. Fusaric acid, for example, is hepatotoxic. See, for example, Teresawa et al., Japan. Cir. J. 35, 339 (1971) and references cited therein. Presumably, the picolinic acid structure interacts with a number of metalloproteins and enzymes non-specifically to produce the observed side effects.
In U.K. Patent Specification No. 1,155,580 are disclosed compounds having the formula: ##STR2## in which R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 can be H, and R.sup.1 can be substituted phenyl. The compounds are said to have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties. Gerbert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,980, disclose such compounds wherein R.sup.1 can be phenyl or phen(C.sub.1-3)alkyl, as intermediates to imidazolyl-2-thioalkanoic acid esters.
Iverson, Acta Chem. Scand. 21, 279 (1967) reports compounds having the formula: ##STR3## wherein R can be --CO.sub.2 H or --CH.sub.2 NHC.sub.6 H.sub.5, but does not report pharmaceutical uses for the compounds.